Columbia Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

How Often it Snows in Columbia

The next two tables list monthly and yearly totals for amount of snow and how many days it snows at least 0.1 inches (0.25 centimetres).

10-year snowfall averages at Columbia, 2010 to 2019

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
1.6	January	5.9	14.9
1.3	February	7.0	17.8
0.9	March	3.3	8.4
0.1	April	0.2	0.5
0.4	November	1.3	3.2
0.9	December	2.5	6.5
5.2	Year	20.2	51.4

13-year snowfall averages at Columbia, 1991 to 2020

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
3.6	January	6.0	15.2
2.8	February	4.6	11.7
1.1	March	1.5	3.8
0.2	April	0.2	0.5
0.1	October	0.0	0.0
0.8	November	0.8	2.0
2.1	December	3.4	8.6
10.7	Year	16.5	41.9

These averages don't show how much the snowfall in Columbia varies from year to year.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 5.9 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 0.7 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over eight inches, while the lightest years get less than 1.5 inches.

New snow for February ranges from over four inches in heavy snowfall years to under 1.2 inches in light years.

When Columbia Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Columbia usually arrives in December. Every few years snow also shows up in November.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in February or March. Although rare, April can get some fresh snow.

Columbia is normally free of snow every year from May to October.

How Many Snowstorms Columbia Gets

About half the days of snowfall in Columbia leave just a skiff, amounting to less than an inch, of fresh snow on the ground. For five days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day don't occur every year. Major blizzards that drop ten inches or more in one day are exceptional events, that happen about once or twice a decade.

Number of days per month and year on average in Columbia with a total snowfall of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches

1 inch 2.5 cm	3 inches 7.6 cm		5 inches 12.7 cm	10 inches 25.4 cm
1.9	0.6	January	0.2	0.1
1.1	0.4	February	0.1	0.1
0.4	0.1	March	0.1	0.0
0.1	0.0	April	0.0	0.0
0.3	0.1	November	0.0	0.0
1.0	0.3	December	0.2	0.0
4.8	1.5	Year	0.6	0.2

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Columbia

For a small portion of winter days, Columbia has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Typically, on three days in a year, the snow covering Columbia gets to five or more inches deep. The snowpack tops ten inches on an average of one day per winter.

Average total days per month and year in Columbia with snow depth of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches on the ground

1 inch 2.5 cm	3 inches 7.6 cm		5 inches 12.7 cm	10 inches 25.4 cm
7.5	2.8	January	1.3	0.4
3.7	1.4	February	1.0	0.4
1.3	0.7	March	0.4	0.1
0.0	0.0	April	0.0	0.0
0.4	0.1	November	0.0	0.0
3.1	1.0	December	0.4	0.2
16.0	6.0	Year	3.1	1.1